People suffering from persistent and progressive metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions like high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol, are at higher risk of developing certain cancers. The findings were published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Metabolic syndrome is common in the United States, occurring in about one in three adults. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that a person likely has metabolic syndrome if they have three or more of the following conditions:
- A large waistline
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar levels
- High blood triglycerides
- Low HDL cholesterol
According to the research, individuals with worsening metabolic syndrome are 1.3 times more at risk of developing any cancer, 2.1 times more at risk of developing breast cancer, 3.3 times more at risk of developing endometrial cancer, 4.5 times more at risk of developing kidney cancer, 2.5 times more at risk of developing colorectal cancer, and 1.6 times more at risk of developing liver cancer, than people without worsening metabolic syndrome patterns.
“To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive evaluation of the impact of heterogeneous MetS score trajectories on the risks of overall and site-specific cancers,” the research team wrote.
4 Categories of Metabolic Stability
The researchers, based in China, determined the link between metabolic syndrome and cancer by studying the syndrome’s symptoms in more than 44,000 Chinese adults. Almost 79 percent of the participants were men, while the average age of those involved in the study was 49.
Study participants were divided into four categories based on metabolic stability, as established by their MetS scores, which are an indicator of cardiometabolic dysfunction. Among the participants, 10.56 percent had low-stable MetS trajectory scores, 40.84 percent had moderate-low, 41.46 percent exhibited a moderate-high, and 7.14 percent had an elevated-increasing pattern where their trajectory scores worsened over time.
The research team followed up with the patients after a little more than nine years to discover cancer diagnoses in 2,271 patients. Those patients with chronically high metabolic scores had higher rates of cancer.
Additionally, the researchers found that patients who had worse metabolic syndrome in conjunction with inflammation were at the most risk of developing breast, endometrial, colon, and liver cancers. However, those with persistently high scores but without chronic inflammation were at high risk of kidney cancer.
The team noted that many factors of metabolic syndrome dysfunction are also risk factors for cancer, including obesity, elevated blood glucose levels, and high blood pressure.
“This research suggests that proactive and continuous management of metabolic syndrome may serve as an essential strategy in preventing cancer,” Dr. Han-Ping Shi, lead author, said in a press release. “Our study can guide future research into the biological mechanisms linking metabolic syndrome to cancer, potentially resulting in targeted treatments or preventive strategies. Formal evaluation of these interventions will be needed to determine if they are able to modulate cancer risk.”
How to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome
The NIH states that developing metabolic syndrome is preventable. The key to preventing the condition is knowing the risk factors and developing a healthy lifestyle. Risk factors include age, socioeconomic status, family history and genetics, and other medical conditions, including being overweight or obese, polycystic ovary syndrome, certain immune disorders, and sleep disorders. Some medications can increase an individual’s risk of developing metabolic syndrome, such as those used to treat allergies, bipolar disorder, depression, HIV, and schizophrenia.
Preventative measures for metabolic syndrome typically include creating a lifestyle that promotes heart-healthy decisions. Such lifestyle decisions include eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, not abusing alcohol, and abstaining from smoking.